Hofmann's hot dogs: A taste of summer in CNY

David Lassman / The Post-StandardBoxes of "coneys" known as "Snappys" on the left, and German franks on the right at Hofmann Sausage Company.

For many Central New Yorkers, the summer season isn't complete without Hofmann hot dogs on the grill. In the height of the season, the Hofmann Sausage Co. in DeWitt is grinding out about a quarter of a million pounds of hot dogs each week.

Hofmann is one of Central New York's oldest companies, dating to the Civil War. The red dogs with natural casings, the ones Hofmann calls German franks are the company's top seller. They're followed by the naturally cased white sausages the company officially calls "snappys" but are known by many locals as "coneys" or "cooneys."

"You can call them anything you want, as long as you enjoy them," said Walter "Rusty" Flook, the fifth-generation president.